John Kincade delivered his final on-air farewell Friday on 97.5 The Fanatic. The longtime host closed his six-year run at 97.5 The Fanatic with an emotional sign-off.
What We Know: Kincade wrapped his final show on 97.5 The Fanatic Friday morning. Andrew Salciunas now hosts alone from 6 to 10 a.m. with an expected co-host to be named at a later date. Kincade thanked listeners and colleagues throughout an emotional farewell. This fall, he returns to 680 The Fan in Atlanta, where he spent more than two decades before Philadelphia. Kincade is leaving his post at The Fanatic due to a personal reasons while also pursuing the next chapter of his career.
What They Said: (All quotes via 97.5 The Fanatic)
John Kincade thankful for the support of the Philadelphia sports radio listener: “To everybody that listens to this radio station, support it, love it. This thing’s about to take off like a freaking rocket ship…I appreciate the opportunity here these six years at 97.5 The Fanatic. I love every one of you that ever listened to this radio station. Don’t leave because it’s just about to explode. Be with it and don’t miss. And I say cheers to all of you. God bless you all.”
Beasley Media Philadelphia VP/Market Manager Paul Blake on John Kincade: “Congratulations and thank you. You’ve been an awesome mentor to everyone around here. You’ve really been a mainstay for the last six years. We can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done.”
Beasley Media Philadelphia VP/Market Manager Paul Blake on John Kincade: “I think I can speak for everyone here as well. You’ve been fantastic. I want to wish you well. Congratulations. But most importantly, I wish you a lot of health as you work towards your final contract towards your retirement. We’re gonna miss you here in Philadelphia.”
John Kincade thankful for the opportunity to return to Philadelphia: “The opportunity to come back to Philly that the Fanatic offered. To be able to be here, to reconnect with my very large extended family, my lifelong friends, my high school and my college friends. My family that I would see once or twice a year. To be able to be a part of their lives for every day was absolutely amazing.”
John Kincade thankful for being treated always as an equal: “Most of all, I’m most thankful for is that when I was ill, I asked for one thing. I begged management that I wanted to continue to work every day that I could work. I didn’t care about what it looked like, what I looked like, or whatever. It was that I wanted to work. I also begged everybody that I worked with at the time and everybody I worked with around this station. Just leave me alone and let me go about my business as normal.
“Everybody at this station supported me so strongly, and propped me up. But they will never understand how just treating me normally propped me up. How just not treating me like I was sick and I was an invalid. Just busting my balls every day, like critiquing my opinions every day. Treating me like normal, made me feel energized and alive.”
What Remains Unclear: Kincade’s exact role at 680 The Fan stays undefined. Blake referenced Kincade’s “final contract towards your retirement,” despite Kincade insisting he’s not retiring. The new co-host for Andrew Salciunas is expected to be announced shortly.
What It Means: John Kincade’s emotional farewell on 97.5 The Fanatic was complete class. Instead of a month-long rememberance tour, Kincade told Barrett Media he had hoped for the focus to remain as normal on content. It was, until the final segment when Kincade shared his emotional thank you’s with the listening audience. Salciunas now owns Philadelphia’s morning drive outright with a new co-host yet to be named. Meanwhile, Kincade’s return to Atlanta reunites him with a market that remembers his voice. His visible gratitude, therefore, suggests warm feelings on both sides. For Philadelphia listeners, though, Friday’s sendoff marked a genuinely rare on-air goodbye.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.